The Brighter Days of Tomorrow
by Miketsukami-kun
Summary: What will Casca do when she is left alone and has to fend for an entire army after Griffith has been taken and Guts has left her? A short 2 chap fic that takes place at the ball and onward. GutsxCasca Rating will change later.
1. Chapter 1

It was then that I realized something about Guts. He was strong, he was brave, and maybe I never hated him but myself as I fell for him the past years; and if he left…

The thought brought tears to my eyes as I swung him around the ballroom floor in circles. He was smiling at me; I ingrained the image into my memory. If he was to leave I would follow him because it wouldn't be the same without him. If he were to leave now it wouldn't matter if I went with him because Griffith and the band of the hawk would be ok, they were all nobles now. Nothing could prevent Griffith from obtaining his dream.

When we finally stopped it was because he had pulled me to a standstill, he looked ready to hurl. I laughed nervously and dragged him back out to the balcony with me. He leaned against the railing for a moment.

"What is it? You can run into the midst of 100 men with no fear what so ever but you can't spin in a circle for a few moments?" I asked him.

"Casca, don't pretend those are in anyway similar cause they are not."

We stood together for a few minutes until I broke the silence. "Why?"

"Why what? Everybody gets dizzy ok."

"No, not that; I meant why did you save me that day?"

"Well, do I always have to have a reason for saving your ass?"

"You answered my question with another question."

"I don't know." He sighed, "It was probably a mix of a ton of stuff."

"Oh? Like what kind of stuff?"

"If I really did leave Griffith, he'll need somebody to look out for him. We couldn't just die in the same place. He needs one of us to continue, I fear he would go mad if both of us were to die. Besides, I told you then, every sword needs a sheath; I may belong to Griffith, but I am not his sword."

"I never got to properly thank you Guts."

"Sure you did, you put that stuff on my wounds afterwards." That made me laugh, and we chatted for a time until he silently took my hand.

"Guts?"

"Casca…" He breathed my name like it was a sigh of relief and he looked like he wanted to say something to me, then the look was gone and he looked away. "Let's go back inside; I'm sure all of your suitors are worried sick over where you have gone."

I groaned, which made him look back at me over his shoulder and I could swear I could hear him say, "Don't worry I won't let them anywhere near you. I'll keep you safe." Then he continued to pull me along after him. That thought made me smile. _He will keep me safe; I just have to stay near him._

The night continued on as normal and I kept getting the feeling that he was leaving and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. But he couldn't possibly leave, he was supposed to protect me, I would have to go with him. So I packed my bags and another thought occurred to me, _Griffith could make him stay. _I gathered my remaining strength and went to tell Griffith what Guts was planning.

We were all waiting for him under a tree away from the city; I had worn extra layers and brought my meager possessions with me in case he actually managed to leave. His eyes softened as I pleaded with him to stay. I knew then that nothing, not even Griffith could keep him from leaving. He was still trying to find an answer to that god awful question I had once asked him, _"Why do you fight?"_

If the answer would cost me Guts, I didn't care to hear it anymore. He fought for himself and he fought for his friends and what he thought was right wasn't that enough? Didn't he think that that was enough?

Griffith seemed to be having the same line of thought, "Draw your sword and wrest your freedom from me." Griffith challenged.

"Griffith!" Oh god, I didn't want them to fight, they couldn't fight. Unfortunately my protest fell upon deaf ears as the two stared each other down.

"Would you settle for a smile and some fond farewell wishes?" Guts paused and waited, but was only answered by silence, "I see how it is."

I ran between them to try to stop this madness. "What are you doing?" I asked Guts. "Are you really willing to kill each other?" I turned to Griffith, "You don't have to fight Griffith. Just talk it through!" I was getting desperate.

Griffith then got into fighting position with his sword pointed at Guts unfortunately that meant at me, who was standing between them. Guts was quick to move between Griffiths blade and my body. "Casca, step aside." Then he too brandished his enormous sword.

I wasn't about to move, but Pippin dragged me away. "Pippin let go! Do you really want to see them kill each other?" Pippin shook his large head but didn't release me.

Then Judeau spoke up, "There's no going back now."

Corkus huffed, "Well if Guts gets his arm cut off, I'm sure he'll come around."

I pulled free from Pippin just to yell at them. "You guys what's wrong with you? You can't let this happen!"

"I think being in the Royal Army has made you forget what we are Casca. What's taken by the sword must be recovered by it. That is a mercenaries iron clad rule, right?" Judeau said.

"I know but," I looked back at them; the man I had followed for so many years and the one I was falling for. "It's just…" I couldn't continue, to do so would be to admit my feelings. Suddenly I wished I had just followed Guts alone and never had called them.

Griffiths quiet voiced echoed into my very marrow. "Do you want to leave this badly? No you're not leaving; I won't allow it."

The both of them moved in the same instant and as soon as it had started it was over with a poof of snow. Half of Griffith's sword went flying into the mountains never to be seen again. Guts' sword hovered close to Griffith's neck for a moment and he let out a whooshing breath. Griffith collapsed onto his knees and Guts went to collect his bag.

"Griffith!" I shouted, he didn't seem hurt just in complete shock. I was torn with what I should do now, and every moment I spent thinking took Guts one more step away.

"Goodbye, " Guts said softly as he passed Griffith. I watched as Griffith's eyes widened.

I went to Griffith and said his name softly when there was no response I looked at Guts who was entirely too far away from me now. I ran a few steps after him then I remembered what he had said at the ball. _"If I really did leave Griffith, he'll need somebody to look out for him. We couldn't just die in the same place. He needs one of us to continue, I fear he would go mad if both of us were to die. Besides, I told you then, every sword needs a sheath; I may belong to Griffith, but I am not his sword." _Somehow he knew I might have wanted to follow him, but he had told me that, so that I wouldn't, he would never take Griffith's sword from him.

But he couldn't leave me here! He was supposed to protect me! He said he would keep me safe, so I called after him, begging him to stay. "Guts!" I called again and again, but he never looked back he never turned towards me. "Please don't go…" I whispered into the wind. I watched him until his figure faded onto the horizon. My legs trembled but not from the cold, he couldn't leave me.

After an hour everybody else had already left and I was still standing there waiting for him to come back, staring at the foot prints in the snow that slowly disappeared. Finally when I felt the hot tears roll down my cheeks I knew I could no longer wait in the cold. I would wait in my room for him to come to me, and I told myself he would.

I slowly made my way home. I punched a drunkard who tried to feel me up until my hands were bleeding. After I got back to my bed I sat there; still waiting. Slowly my body succumbed to a numb sleep filled with emptiness.

The next day I wiped my eyes and told myself that I would be strong for my men and that Guts would be disappointed to see me crying just because he left for a little while. We all waited in a field for Griffith, we were supposed to be having some sort of practice, but nobody seemed to know the specifics just to meet here. The men were complaining about being cold and I was about to tell them all to suck it and stop acting like a bunch of girls when Corkus started to go on and on about Guts and how nobody should be affected that he left least of all Griffith. The hairs on the back of my neck started to raise, I wasn't sure if it was in anger or a premonition of some sort because the next thing I knew Pippin yelled, "Incoming!" and all the crows left their trees, startled out of their daze. Hundreds of arrows fell from the sky down upon us.

We soon realized that they definitely weren't Tudor soldiers, the standard they held high was that of Midland. Something was very wrong, very wrong indeed; where was Griffith? I almost screamed out for Guts. _Guts we need you! I need you! Come back to me Guts! I need you to keep me safe again, I need you!_

**Ok yay! Chapter one complete! Sorry I know what you are thinking, you should writing more on Fullmetal Faires! What are you doing right now with this fic! Sorry to those of you that have read that it is currently on hiatus, because im not sure where to go next with it I kinda want to make it a mission but im not sure what the mission should be so until I think of one or somewhere else it should go it is staying as it is sorry guys! Anyway, im only planning on making this a two chapter fic so you shouldn't be that mad at me, at least its something new1 I promise to try to think more on all of my other fics since the only one ive finished is a one shot and the other two are left hanging so sorry I'll finish them both in time and I hope you enjoy this in the meantime. **

**Until next time **

**~Miketsukami-kun.**


	2. Chapter 2

I winced as Casca called out for me. I wanted to turn back and take her with me, she was just like me; neither of us were ever cut out to be nobles. I felt her eyes on me for what felt like forever and I was tempted to look back multiple times. Finally I turned my head just enough to see her, she was kneeling in the snow staring after me, she was alone. I wanted to run back to her and wrap my arms around her trembling body but I couldn't do it; to do so would mean I would have to stay or she would have to come. After all Griffith needed his sword; I couldn't completely devastate him all in the same day and take his two best fighters.

A hot tear found its way down my cheek and I didn't bother to wipe it off. The metal on my armor was getting cold, but I could handle it. I had gone through much worse in my life.

**One Year Later**

I had finally decided to come back and see them all again. I was ready, I was stronger, and I couldn't wait any longer to see Casca. My heart was trembling with anticipation.

When I arrived at the camp there was already a battle taking place and I frantically searched for Casca. When I spotted her my heart stopped, a man in robes was atop her holding two daggers on either side of her throat counting to her death. The robed man said three and the daggers were closing in, I kicked his ass and sent him flying. I looked down at Casca, her eyes were squeezed shut and there was a bleeding scratch on her cheek; he would pay for that. "Four." I said.

I almost laughed at how quickly her eyes snapped open and as soon as they met mine it didn't matter that we were in the middle of a battle, I was home. "Don't let him wear you out; he's just a street performer." She was still staring up at me from the ground. "Pull it together, ok Commander?" Her gaze softened and I heard from above Rickert's voice, "Its Guts!"

People started freaking out naturally, and of course Corkus had to put in his two sense. I ignored them all, "Come on get up, this is no time to sit on your ass. I'll take care of that guy, you go do your job. " I was relieved when she finally got up. She was just staring at me though, like it was a miracle or something. "Go on," I said softly; she inclined her head and left, I watched her for a moment until three robed men appeared in front of me.

"Stay back!" The leader of the three shouted. "And do not interfere. I'll take care of him by myself." The other two melted into the shadows. I wasn't worried I had fought their kind before, I called them Hassassines. I was kind of surprised that these had wandered so far out of their desert though.

The leader started to swing about his god awful 'Blades of Thunder' they are quite deceiving, they seem to be everywhere and they sound so flimsy but I know how they can tear a man into pieces. I darted in and out of the flying silver bands trying to escape from their grasp. Finally I got tired of this shit and swung my sword down so hard that a wave of air messed up his blades. I got in close and smote him once in the head, he just barely blocked and was quite lucky to be alive.

"Curse you!" he said, "We'll fall back for now." He threw two copper discuses at me, I blocked one but to my absolute horror the other was speeding straight for Casca.

"Casca!" I hollered to her, she just barely had time to register my voice and she couldn't move fast enough and we both knew it. Luckily, Judeau was faster than thought itself as his dagger saved her from certain death. I let out a breath I wasn't aware I had been holding. I turned back to the Hassassins but they were gone. I looked at Casca and she looked at me but I couldn't figure out what lay behind her eyes, they used to be so telling, now they were an empty abyss.

Soon after we all were relaxing by the fire and they told me what had happened. I was in shock; I never should have left them. They told me that it happened the day after I had left. Corkus spoke up, "One day we paraded as the saviors of Midland and the next they decide to brand us criminals. So much for us becoming nobles. Oh that's right you couldn't care less about that. Cause you'd rather be a deserting bastard. You weren't here when we needed you the most; you're not one of us."

Maybe Corkus was right and I never should have left but I just couldn't stand having Griffith look down on me he was the only one I didn't want looking down on me. I didn't sleep that night I pondered everything that had happened to all of them and I realized that while they were suffering they must have all thought the worst of me for leaving them.

The next morning I was tired but when Casca asked to speak with me I followed her without a second thought. She brought me to a clearing on a cliff backed up to a waterfall. Her shoulders were tense and her face was hardened. "Draw your weapon!" Then she advanced on me swinging her sword like she meant business.

"Hey wait, you're really trying to kill me." It was then that I realized what had changed about her; her eyes no longer sparkled, they no longer lusted for war, they were now the eyes of a tired woman on her last breath, but she wasn't about to die not if I had a say in it. "Stop, Casca!" I easily dodged all of her attacks but I wasn't about to hurt her.

"Come on, draw you sword, now!" she yelled as she ran at me.

I tripped her and stood back, "Still got that short fuse I see. What's your problem?"

"It's all your fault."

"Huh?"

"You had to go and ruin everything. It's all your fault!." She screamed as she came running at me with a new fury in her. I had to draw my sword this time to parry against her. "Griffith and the Band of the Hawk, it all went to hell because of you!"

"Because of me? How so?" I asked her.

"How stupid are you! Damn you! You were the one Griffith wanted! It was always you," I kept parrying and dodging her blows. "You were the only one, the only one he let get close to him." I was starting to go into shock from what she was saying. "It was you! You're the one that made Griffith weak!"

Now it all made sense, I looked back to the day I first met him and then to when I had left him, kneeling in the snow; defeated. He hadn't wanted me to leave but I wanted so badly to prove to him that I was worthy of being called friend, that I was his equal in every way. Because I was never his friend I was more or less a plaything he always ordered around.

"Griffith was no good without you!" she shouted and I no longer heard her or saw her. I didn't even flinch when her cold blade pierced my flesh. My hand wrapped around the sharp metal and I gripped it harder and harder as more came back to me in flashes.

"it can't be true." I felt her tugging on the blade. "There's no way, he wouldn't let something that small; Griffith wouldn't. I just did what I had to do, just like Griffith. I needed to go and find my own path." Vaguely I felt the blade slip out from my grasp. I was staring at the ground, I could feel the warmth flowing down my hand.

Casca's voice slipped though and I turned my head to look at her. "In the end, I wasn't able to be Griffith's sword or his woman." _His woman? Is that what she wanted all this time?_ She was edging closer to the cliff. "You know I knew, that I didn't have a place at Griffith's side or in his heart for sometime now. And yet I still kept on fighting, because if I didn't I was afraid that I might just disappear."

"Casca." I breathed.

"But it doesn't matter anymore. I'm tired, so very tired." She started to lean back. "Please, you go do the rest." She was falling and I was running to grab her. _ No after all this time waiting I cannot lose her now, you can't leave me. _I grabbed her wrist at the very last moment. Then it hit me that I should have used the other arm, this hand was slick with blood. My blood dripped onto her face and she looked up at me with tears in her eyes. I yanked her up too hard and she went flying but at least she was away from the cliff edge. "Damn it! What the hell is wrong with you?" I pointed at her, "From now on you are not allowed to ever go near the edge of a cliff again you hear me!" now my side was burning where she had stabbed me because I had stretched the wound and torn it even more. She was starting to get up. "the last time you did that shit you dragged me down with you and I damn near drowned." I kept ranting until she put her hand on top of mine that was covering my side. The simple contact sent chills down my spine.

"You fool." I turned to gawk at her. "You keep getting hurt and it's because of me. You're always bleeding over me. You fool." A tear found its way down her cheek. I put my hand on top of her head and she leaned her head on my chest. I let her cry there for a few moments, then I lifted her head and kissed her forehead. Nervous butterflies made themselves known as I went to kiss her mouth, she didn't pull away. But I waited and she kissed me back we pulled apart just to meet in the middle again. She smiled up at me and sank to her knees and I followed suit keeping our eyes locked. I kissed her again and fireworks exploded in my mind. I helped her take off her cloak and then her armor and she helped with mine, we took turns until both of us were stark naked.

She was beautiful, she covered her breasts but I wouldn't let her keep them covered. I pulled her hands away and kissed her nipples, taking it into my mouth. She mewled underneath me, and I wondered if it was her first time. She squirmed as I pleasured her and gave soft breathy moans. I spread her legs to me and she got a little louder. I looked to her for permission and she gave it, so I aligned ourselves and thrust into her. It was complete bliss.

It was a sample of something I wanted to have a taste of for the rest of my life. Both of our bodies were covered in sweat as we released together. Her nails dug into my back and I waited a few moments before extracting myself from her. I kissed her full lips, why was it that covered in sweat and grime that she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"Guts?" she said softly. She was curled up against my side under my cloak.

"Hm?"

"After we rescue Griffith will you leave again?"

I sighed, "Yeah, I made my decision so I'm sticking with it." I was playing with her hair but she pulled away from me and sat up. "Casca, come with me." she looked back at me in surprise. "After we rescue Griffith come with me. I don't know what the future holds…but," I grabbed her arm and pulled her to me, I couldn't stand her being so far away from me. "I do know this, I just cannot get enough of you."

"You fool." She told me.

"I want to make love to you at least a hundred more times. No make that a thousand."

She looked at me uncertainly, "You fool."

"Quit calling me a fool, I know I am." I pulled her even closer and kissed her soon we both succumbed and made love again.

"Yes I will go with you Guts, because I can't lose you again. I cannot be left behind again." And with that we fell asleep in each other's arms.

**THE END**

**Ok yay done! I don't like the real ending so I'm leaving it here on a happier note thanks for reading sorry I had to change it to an M because I pretty sure this is M behavior but its in the anime and sorry I know I cant really write sex scenes my bad if it was crappy.**

**Until my next fanfic,**

**Miketsukami-kun.**


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